Resiliently supported rider-actuated apparatus



June 5, 1962 W. F. DEADY 3,037,769

RESILIENTLY suPPoRTED RIDER-ACTUATED APPARATUS Original Fi'led Jan. 31, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 I a Il, ff 2 M v gg f d .w

A TTURNEH June 5., 1962 w. F. DEADY 3,037,769 RESILIENTLY suPPoRTED RIDER-ACTUATED APPARATUS originali Filed Jan. s1, 1956 Byfm ATTORNEH United States Patent 3,037,769 RESILIENTLY SUPPORTED RIDER-ACTUATED APPARATUS William F. Deady, 190 High St., Somersworth, N.H. Original application Jan. 31, 1956, Ser. No. 562,493, now Patent No. 2,882,050, dated Apr. 14, 1959. Divided and this application Oct. 22, 1958, Ser. No. 768,989 Claims. (Cl. 272-53.1)

The present invention relates to improvements in Resiliently Supported Rider-Actuated Apparatus and, more particularly, to such apparatus wherein a resiliently supported and movable body may have any of numerous forms and shapes for accommodating a rider who may be mounted on or seated within the movable body. For example, the movable body may be a simulated horse or other animal, a boat, an airplane, or other vehicle. The invention provides improvements in the resilient support for such movable bodies, and improved means for rideractuation of such bodies and of particular parts of such bodies when it may be desirable, for example, to simulate actual movements of portions of the bodies, such as the legs and/or the tail of a simulated animal.

The present application is a division of applicants copending application Serial No. 562,493, led January 3l, 1956, now Patent 2,882,050, and entitled, Resiliently Supported Rider-Actuated Apparatus.

An object of the present invention is to provide a rideractuated, resiliently supported body wherein a novel suspension and actuation system is characterized by means within the body for resiliently biasing a rotatable shaft which extends through the supported body, there being arms aixed to and pivotable with the said shaft at its opposite ends, and said resiliently biasing means resiliently biasing the shaft against rotation whereby the biasing means automatically continues movement of the body which may have been initiated by a rider.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rideractuated resiliently supported body wherein resilient means within the body may serve the dual function of resiliently supporting the body and of actuating separately movable elements of the body in response to initial rideractuation of the said elements.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve the structure and operative effectiveness of rideractuated resiliently supported bodies, and especially such a body on or within which a rider may selectively control and vary the movements of particular parts of the body and/ or of the body in its entirety.

The invention accordingly comprises the apparatus possessing the construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. l is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a rider-actuated resiliently supported apparatus, in the form of a horse, embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view in cross-section approxmately on line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation, partly broken away, showing another hobbyhorse embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a rear end elevation, partly broken away, of the apparatus of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. l and 2 of the drawings, the invention is therein illustrated in the form of a hobbyhorse which includes a body having a head and neck 12, a pair of forelegs 14, 14, a pair of hindlegs 16, 16, and a tail 18, all of which are stationary with respect to the body. Body 10 is in the form of an inverted channel, the horizontal top of which is medially indented at 20 to provide a concave saddle for a rider. Fore and aft transverse shafts 22, 24 extend through and are journaled in the depending sides of the body channel at the shoulder and hind portions, respectively, of body l0. At the opposite ends of shafts 22 and 24 are pairs of arms 26, 26 and 28, 28, respectively. One end of each arm is securely fitted into an opening 29 at an extremity of one of the shafts. The other end of this arm is provided with an eye 30. A pair of links 32, 32 are connected between the eyes 30, 30 of arms 26, 26 and a pair of fore-standards 34, 34. A pair of links 36, 36 are connected between the eyes 30, 30 of arms 28, 28 and a pair of aft-standards 38, 38. A lever 40 and a lever 42 are aiixed to the center of shaft 22 and to the center of shaft 24, respectively. A coil spring 44 is connected between the upper end of lever 40 and the lower end of lever 42. A coil spring `46 is connected between the lower end of lever 40 and the upper end of lever 42.

As best seen from FIG. l, lever arms 40, 42 extend a greater distance below the corresponding shafts 22, 24 than above. Accordingly spring 46 connected to the lower end of lever 40 and the upper end of lever 42 eX- erts a greater absolute torque on shaft 22 than on shaft 24. Similarly, spring 44 connected to the lower end of lever 42 and the upper end of lever 40' exerts a greater absolute torque on shaft 24 than on shaft 22. The net torques of the two shafts 22, 24 are opposite in `direction causing opposite shaft rotation and an inward turning 0f arms 26, 28 away from their corresponding pairs of pivotally connected links 32, 36. Accordingly, a net upward force is transmitted through the linkage from supports 34, 38 to form 10, and the form is resiliently biased or lifted up with respect to the supports to a normal or neutral position which is elevated from that to which it would normally drop in the absence of, or in other words if there were omitted, the springs 44, 46.

Under the invention, when a rider mounts the toy the form 10 is depressed under the load, and springs 44, 46 expand to a point which places the supporting system in dynamic equilibrium. That is, the restoring forces are such as to produce a minimum overall spring extension under a given load distribution.

The horse of FIGS. 1 and 2 simulates a galloping motion when rocked by a rider seated on body 10. This motion may be varied by adjusting the distances that the arms of levers 40 and 42 project above and below the shafts 22 and 24, respectively.

The hobbyhorse illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 comprises a body 48 and members movably or pivotally joined t0 the body, such as forelegs 50, 50, hindlegsI 52, 52, and a tail 54. A suspension and actuation system includes journaled transverse shafts 56 and 58, arms 60, 60 and 62, 62, links 64, 64 and 66, 66, standards 68, 68 and 70, 70, levers 72 and 74, and springs 76 and 78, all generally similar, respectively, to shafts 22 and 24, arms 26, 26 and 28, 28, links 32, 32 and 36, 36, standards 34, 3'4 and 38, 38, levers 40 and 42, and springs 44 and 46 of the FIGS. 1 and 2 embodiment.

A pair of similar linkages and 82 permit a rider to initiate independent movement of the members at Opposite sides of body 48. Each said linkage comprises a lever 84 pivoted on a shaft 86 which is common to` both linkages and which extends transversely entirely through body 48. Each lever 84 has a spring 85 constantly biasing it in clockwise direction about shaft 86, as viewed in FIG. 3, such as to the dotted position of the lever 84 which is shown in FIG. 3. The lower end of one lever 84 is connected to one foreleg 50 by a link 818, and a projecting rod at the junction of lever 84 and link 88 serves as a stirrup for one foot of the rider. The upper end oft this same lever 84 is connected, through a pivoted link 92, to an arm 94 which is iixed fto and pivot-able with one of the hindlegs S2. Also pivotable with arm 94 isa member 96 which slidably engages under the tail S4. Similarly, the lower end of the other lever 84 is connected to the other foreleg 50 by a link S8, and a projecting rod 91 at the junction of said other lever and the latter mentioned link 88 serves as a stirrup for the other foot of the rider. The opper end of said other lever 84 is connected, through a pivoted link 92 to an arm 94 which is fixed to and pivotable withV the other hindleg 52.

, The iirst mentioned link '92 and arm 94 are seen to bejoined at their pivotal connection also to the upper arm of lever 74 such that -t-he common pivot, and therefore the pivoted `body members 50, 52 and 54, are movably responsive to rotation of shaft 5S, as well as tothe s foot thrusting of strrup 90. The same connection of the link 92. Vto the lever 84 will, of course, enable the rider to rock the body 48 by applying foot'thrust to the stirrup 90 as Well as lby actuating or disturbing the dynamic equilibrium of the spring suspension system.

. Thus a rider may ani-mate and aotuate the hobbyhorse of FIGS. 3 and 4 by imparting similar and simultaneous motions to the legs at both sides of body 48 by applying equal foot pressureV simultaneously to the two stirrups 90,

` 91, and the tail also will be actuated by member 96 which pivots with one of the arms 94. Or, the legs 50 and 52 at opposite sides of the body 48, may be'sepa-v rately actuated by foo-t pressure applied alternately to the stirrups 90 and 91, with actuation of tail 54being eected through the particulararm 94 with which member96 pivots. And it Will be understoodtha-t this actuation and animation of the legs and tail supplements and is in addition to the rocking motions which may be imparted by a rider to the horse as a whole due to the spring suspension of body 48 described in connection with the FIGS. l and 2 embodiment and included also in the FIGS. 3 and 4 embodiment.

Various changes may be made in the hobbyhorses as herein shown and described, within the scope of the appended claims, Vand it is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, Whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

I as my invention:

1. A simulated animal provided with a novel suspension and actuation system comprising a simulated animal body, a iirst shaft extending through and journaled in said body, a second shaft extending through and journaled in said body, a rst pair of arms affixed to and pivotable with said first shaft on opp'osite'sides of said body, a`

second pair of arms atlixed `to and pivotable with said second shaft on opposite sides of said body, a support,

a first pair of links pivotably connected between said iirst pair of arms and said support, aV second pair of links pivotably connected between said second pair of 'ar-ms and said support, a first lever aflxed to said rst shaft, a second lever aiixed to said second shaft, and a rst spring and a second spring in crossed relation, said first spring being connected between one end of said 'first lever and one end of said second lever, said second spring being connected between the other end of said iirst lever and the other end of said second lever.

2. The simulated animal of claim 1 wherein said first lever is aiiixed to the medial portion of said tirs-t shaft and `said second lever is Aailxed to the medial portion of said second shaft.

3. The simulated animal of claim l `wherein members members, and means responsive to rotation of one of said shafts for effecting movements of said member-actuating lever thereby to produce movements of said members relative to said body.

4. In a rider actuatedtoy, a rider seating form com` prising a hollow body, front and rear supports supporting said body, front and rea-r hinges pivotally connected to said body and to elevated portions of said front and rear supports and so as toallow said form to `be rocked, depressed Vand lifted yup with respect to said supports, and resilient means associated with said hinges and arranged to beV tensioned by ,the depressing of said form under gravity, said resilient means being within said body and acting to lift up and support said body in an elevated neutral position oi equilibrium from which it may be actuated by a rider in any and all of said rocking, depressing, and lifting up movements. 5. In a rider'actuated toy, a rider seating form, front and rear fastenings on said form, front and rear supports for the form, plural means pivotally linking said front and rear fastenings respectively to said front and rear supports so as to allow said fastenings universal movement with respect to said supportsmeans associated With said toy and arranged to biasV said linking means resiliently to oppose the movement of said fasteniogs, induced by actuations of the rider, members pivotally connected to said form, a member actuating lever journaled in said form, means connecting said member actuating lever and Vsaid, members, and means responsive to movements of said member actuating lever for effecting rotation of one of said fastenings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

